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Michael Voppel
multiple authors
Notre Dame guard hannah hidalgoJoe, who was the Naismith and WBCA Defensive Player of the Year in women’s basketball this season, will return to the Fighting Irish for her senior season.
Hidalgo posted a photo of himself on social media Thursday wearing a Notre Dame uniform with the caption, “Run It Back.”
Sources confirmed to ESPN that Hidalgo does not intend to transfer and will finish her college career with the Irish.
She is not eligible for the WNBA Draft this season, but is expected to be a lottery pick in 2027. Hidalgo was the ACC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year this season.
Hidalgo set the NCAA single-season record for steals with 202 as a junior. She led Division I in steals per game (5.6) and ranked third in scoring average (25.2). He scored 30 or more points 10 times this season, including a career-high 44 points in an 85–58 win over Akron on November 12. He also had a career-best 16 steals in that game.
Hidalgo had a triple-double – 31 points, 11 rebounds and 10 steals – plus seven assists in No. 6 seed Notre Dame’s 67–64 upset of No. 2 Vanderbilt in the Sweet 16 of the Fort Worth Regional on March 27. Notre Dame defeated No. 3 seed Ohio State 83–73 in the second round, behind 26 points, 13 rebounds and eight steals from Hidalgo.
The Irish saw their season end with a 70–52 loss to No. 1 UConn in the Elite Eight. Hidalgo had 22 points and 11 rebounds. After that game, UConn coach Geno Auriemma referred to Hidalgo as the best point guard in women’s college basketball.
“And there’s still a lot of areas of growth left for me on the court,” Hidalgo told ESPN when talking about his plans for his final year of college after the loss to UConn. “Just working on creating space, being able to finish off taller players. And then in the WNBA, they’re all bigger, they’re stronger, they’re more athletic, they’re more talented. So, it’s about growing my game, just trying to prepare as much as possible. Building my muscles, getting stronger.”
